Thursday, November 12, 2015

Tonight's Sky for November 12: Young Moon Meets Saturn

How
thin of aMoon
have you seen? How about one that's just barely over 2 days old and
only 5% illuminated? Well, if you have never seen a Moon this thin,
this is your chance to do so as such a Moon will be making an
appearance in this evening's sky just after sunset.

To see
the Moon, you'll need a good Western horizon. How good? One with less
than 10 degrees of obstruction. To simulate this, hold your fist
vertically at arm's length to simulate 10 degrees. Hint: if you can't
think of a good location off-hand, scout out one during the day.
Location found, head there at sunset and start looking, preferably
with optical aid, and start scanning the sky. The Moon may not be
visible at first, often seeming to suddenly pop into visibility as if
it were flipped on like a light.